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supply chain consulting case studies

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What Is a Case Study?

When you’re performing research as part of your job or for a school assignment, you’ll probably come across case studies that help you to learn more about the topic at hand. But what is a case study and why are they helpful? Read on to learn all about case studies.

Deep Dive into a Topic

At face value, a case study is a deep dive into a topic. Case studies can be found in many fields, particularly across the social sciences and medicine. When you conduct a case study, you create a body of research based on an inquiry and related data from analysis of a group, individual or controlled research environment.

As a researcher, you can benefit from the analysis of case studies similar to inquiries you’re currently studying. Researchers often rely on case studies to answer questions that basic information and standard diagnostics cannot address.

Study a Pattern

One of the main objectives of a case study is to find a pattern that answers whatever the initial inquiry seeks to find. This might be a question about why college students are prone to certain eating habits or what mental health problems afflict house fire survivors. The researcher then collects data, either through observation or data research, and starts connecting the dots to find underlying behaviors or impacts of the sample group’s behavior.

Gather Evidence

During the study period, the researcher gathers evidence to back the observed patterns and future claims that’ll be derived from the data. Since case studies are usually presented in the professional environment, it’s not enough to simply have a theory and observational notes to back up a claim. Instead, the researcher must provide evidence to support the body of study and the resulting conclusions.

Present Findings

As the study progresses, the researcher develops a solid case to present to peers or a governing body. Case study presentation is important because it legitimizes the body of research and opens the findings to a broader analysis that may end up drawing a conclusion that’s more true to the data than what one or two researchers might establish. The presentation might be formal or casual, depending on the case study itself.

Draw Conclusions

Once the body of research is established, it’s time to draw conclusions from the case study. As with all social sciences studies, conclusions from one researcher shouldn’t necessarily be taken as gospel, but they’re helpful for advancing the body of knowledge in a given field. For that purpose, they’re an invaluable way of gathering new material and presenting ideas that others in the field can learn from and expand upon.

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supply chain consulting case studies

Supply chain case interviews

Case types | Example supply chain cases | Framework | Full case example

Following decades of globalization, today’s companies are facing supply chains with a greater degree of complexity than ever before. In recognition of that reality, our clients are increasingly turning to consultancies to find cost reduction opportunities, minimize the risk of obstruction or image from natural disasters and foreign policy decisions, and (increasingly in the past few years) to identify areas for improvement in environmental sustainability.

Overview of the hiring process at Strategy&

Types of cases (Top)

Generally, all supply chain cases aim to assess a candidate’s ability to sort through complex data, yield actionable insights and identify the potential risks from altering the client’s existing operation.

However, that assessment can take a variety of forms, what follows are three common types of supply chain cases that you may encounter throughout your interview process.

Example supply chain cases (Top)

Read through the following examples so you can identify supply chain courses in all their forms.

#1: Car Works has approached your firm to help them assess the efficiency of their raw material providers as they implement a company-wide mandate to cut costs. Presently, Car Works utilizes a large range of individual suppliers, each providing Car Works with 1-2 key inputs, but has considered consolidating their purchasing into fewer, larger accounts. Car Works wants us to quantify the potential savings and provide a recommendation.

This case asks candidates to calculate the cost savings from reducing supply chain complexity and the increases in purchasing power . However, there may be risk from consolidating their suppliers if those suppliers face disruptions of their own.

#2: SunRays is a global producer of solar panels with the bulk of their manufacturing footprint presently located in China. They have retained your firm to assess the strategic risk of maintaining their current operations versus diversifying to other regions given the potential for geopolitical conflict. What would you advise?

#3: your client, sodaswirl, has set an ambitious goal of cutting their carbon footprint by 50% in 10 years. your firm has been hired to identify opportunities in their operation to reduce carbon production and determine the most effective route to reaching the goal with the minimal disruption to profits..

This case tests a candidate’s knowledge of the environmental impact for different business operations and provides an opportunity for the candidate to brainstorm solutions to the high stakeholder priority of environmental sustainability.

Supply chain framework (Top)

As always, there is no universal structure that will unlock each supply chain case, however, leaning on the three areas of inquiry below will allow a candidate to lay the foundation for a successful analysis.

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Full case example (Top)

Let’s work through a sample supply chain case.

Your Couch World client is a manufacturer of furniture currently designing and manufacturing all of their products in Canada. One of their top investors has continually pushed Couch World to shift their production overseas to a lower cost facility in China, but management has reservations about losing the Made in Canada claim with which customers have grown familiar. How would you advise them?

After jotting down the prompt, we can rely on some of the concepts listed above to formulate a framework for the case.

Step 1: Cost Shifting - What’s the cost impact of Chinese production?

Our client is going to save on the cost of labor and potentially gain access to cheaper raw materials given their closer proximity to industrial centers. The trade-off? It will cost more to transport our goods to their end destination if they are no longer made in Canada.

Let’s say that our goods cost $725 to produce and retail for $1,000 with the present supply chain configuration. It costs an additional $25 to transport them to their final destination for a total of $750, with a gross profit margin of 25% or $250. As discussed above, the cost of production will decrease, let’s say to $500, but the cost of transportation increases, let’s say to $100. Net-net the new cost of production is $600. The new gross margin is $400, so the cost analysis presents favorably towards outsourcing, but make sure to consider all potential impacts before forming a recommendation.

Step 2: Operational Stability - What’s the operational impact of producing in China?

We may want to consider the risks of outsourcing to China. Recently tensions have increased between the U.S. and China with the potential for escalation. We will want to consider the possibility of additional tariffs and the impact of conflict in the region.

These aspects may be difficult to quantify, but they are important for the client to consider as they evaluate the total impact of this decision.

Step 3: Brand Erosion - What’s the brand impact of producing in China?

Finally, our client needs to consider how this change can impact their public image and thereby their sales. Competitors may even capitalize on our shift to highlight their competitive differentiation if they are still domestically produced.

In our case, let’s say our client was selling 100,000 units prior to outsourcing the goods. When they were making $250 per unit, they made $25M per year. Now, our client is making $400 per unit, but, let’s imagine our client expects to lose a significant portion of their sales, ~35%, because their value proposition centers heavily on being a domestic producer of high-quality furniture. Calculating their new gross profit, 65,000 * $400 we find that profit from out-sourcing totals $26M.

Step 4: Recommendation

(You can also recommend that the client proceed with the outsourcing - the profit does increase by 4% after all. Most cases are less about yes vs. no and more concerned with the evidence and logic the candidate uses to support their choice).

Consultants find themselves tackling increasingly thorny supply chain questions, and look to evaluate their candidates on their ability to crack these cases. The preceding discussion is a good introduction to the complex work of supply chains, but a strong candidate will supplement it by getting a good mix of supply chain cases under their belt before entering the interview process.

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How to Solve a Supply Chain Case Study Interview

Former Accenture

People can be nervous about approaching a supply chain case study interview.

Everyone has some level of experience with marketing and sales because they see these functions in stores and advertisements every day.

The supply chain that gets the product on a store shelf (whether it’s a physical one or digital) can be more opaque.

Supply chain management is the optimization of the process of designing and creating a good or service and getting it to the customer in the most efficient way possible.

Breaking the supply chain down into its component steps will allow you to look at essential parts of the process and uncover which steps may have problems that need to be addressed to better meet customer needs.

In this article, we’ll discuss:

Let’s get started!

What Types of Business Problems Fall into Supply Chain Management?

Supply chain management includes:

Each consulting firm breaks down the group of consultants who work on supply chain problems differently. Some firms put the entire process under supply chain. 

In others, “production” problems are managed by an operations practice or service line. The supply chain practice is responsible for issues like:

For example, before a company can manufacture a bike, it needs tires, steel, or aluminum for the frame, the bike chain, etc. To get the finished bike to market, they need transportation to retail stores or a chain’s distribution warehouse. 

For the purpose of this article, we’ll look at the broader definition of supply chain, the entire process from getting components parts, to manufacturing the product and delivering finished goods as cheaply and efficiently as possible while meeting or exceeding service level expectations.

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Why Does the Movement of Goods To & From a Factory Matter So Much?

Moving goods to and from a factory might not seem to be the most exciting thing in the world but it’s fundamental to business success. If you can’t get your innovative new product to market so your customers can buy it, it can’t add value to your bottom line. 

From a financial perspective, there are both inbound and outbound considerations. 

Inbound considerations include:

Outbound considerations include:

Let’s look at these in more detail.

Transportation Cost

Transportation costs include both receiving goods from suppliers and distributing them to the customer. There are several factors to be considered when calculating transportation costs, and they may have to be weighed against other factors.

For example, is it more beneficial to use a cheaper supplier that has higher inbound transportation costs? Is it better to use a more expensive carrier service that results in a lower rate of damaged goods or quicker transit time?

Warehousing Cost

The cost of storing inventory, whether component parts or finished products, needs to be considered in effective supply chain management. Warehousing costs can be significant and can be optimized in a number of ways:

It’s worth bearing in mind that, like many things in supply chain management, there may be tradeoffs. Cheaper warehousing that’s poorly connected to a company’s distribution network could end up costing you more time and money than more expensive storage that’s well connected. It’s important to optimize total supply chain costs, not each individual cost in the supply chain.

Inventory Carrying Cost

In addition to storage costs, there are several other costs associated with holding inventory. These include:

Similarly, from a customer service level perspective, there are both inbound and outbound considerations.

In short, inventory levels are about managing supply vs. demand. If there is a problem with inbound supply, production will slow or cease. This is highly inefficient and reduces potential product profitability. 

For example, the blockage of the Suez Canal in early 2021 due to a container ship that ran aground was expected to delay shipment of $9.6 billion in goods a day on the 150+ vessels waiting to travel through the canal according to a BBC article. These delays are expected to cost companies substantial sums due to:

Key Factors to Consider in a Supply Chain Case Study Interview

A supply chain process map.

When analyzing a supply chain case, the best place to start is by mapping out the steps parts go through as they come into the factory, go through the manufacturing and quality control processes, and then are finally shipped to the customer. A process map like the one above will help you identify key steps.

Imagine yourself walking the production floor following the process the parts and end-product go through. In a supply chain case with an actual client, you’ll do this.

An effective supply chain moves the various elements seamlessly in the most efficient manner, minimizing waste and maximizing profitability. The flow of information between supplier and buyer, production, and the market should also move freely. This means it can be used to improve supply chain decisions. For example, an increase in orders at Manufacturer A will be communicated to their supplier, Company B, so that they know that they expect a larger than normal parts order and are prepared to fulfill it.

Imagine How Raw Materials Arrive at a Factory and Move Through It

Tip! Look for steps in the process where inventory is piling up. This may be because parts supply or production is unbalanced, reducing efficiency. Find ways to improve these bottlenecks.

Tip! Look for areas where there are significant problems with quality control. Parts or products that need to be sent back to suppliers or go through production rework are opportunities to improve efficiency and quality and, by doing so, save money.

After you have a clear understanding of the company’s supply chain, there are 4 factors you’ll want to dive deeper into to find opportunities to improve efficiency:

Operational Considerations

The best supply chains are highly efficient, which means they have low to minimal waste and consistently operate at optimum levels. This means that labor capacity is well-matched to production requirements.

They are also reliable with robust supplier relationships and an effective transportation solution.

Questions to Ask about Operational Efficiency

Financial Considerations

There are both fixed and variable costs associated with getting a product to market that should be considered.

Fixed Production Costs

Fixed costs are costs that are independent of production volume (at least over the short term) — for example, factory leasing costs.

Let’s assume a factory can produce a maximum of 10,000 units of a product a year. To lease the factory is the same price whether you produce 1 unit or 10,000 units a year. 

Fixed costs can depend on production volume only when it exceeds a threshold volume.

For example, if sales increase and the business needed to produce 15,000 units a year, the company would need to lease another factory to deal with the increased production. In this case, volume does affect a fixed cost.

Fixed costs do directly influence the cost per unit, however. The higher the utilization of the fixed production volume, the lower the cost per unit. 

For example, if the factory mentioned above costs $10,000 to lease and the factory is producing at its full capacity of 10,000 units, then the fixed cost/unit of output is $1. If the factory is only running at 50% capacity, the fixed costs/unit of output would double to $2.

Variable Production Costs

Variable costs change in proportion to production volume. For every additional unit produced, an additional $x of variable cost is incurred. Examples of variable cost items include raw materials and hourly labor costs.

There are times when rebalancing fixed and variable costs can be an opportunity for savings. For example, is it beneficial to invest in machinery or automation (fixed cost) if it reduces high labor costs? Be sure to look for opportunities like this as well as optimizing fixed and variable costs on their own.

Questions To Ask About Financial Optimization

Service Levels

In supply chain management, the term service level has a specific meaning. It relates to how well inventory levels fulfill customer orders. A good service level is one that can fulfill customer orders without incurring a delay.

This is important because customer loyalty may decrease if products are consistently out of stock.

Questions To Ask About Service Levels

Supply and Demand

Effective supply chain management is about ensuring demand for the product is equaled by supply, at the lowest cost to the business.

If demand is higher than supply, customers could turn to a competitor.

If supply is higher than demand, inventory costs can reduce profit margins. Storing inventory also increases business risk as the product may decrease in value or become obsolete as it waits to reach the market.

Questions To Ask About Supply And Demand

Supply Chain Case Study Interview – A Sample Question

Problem: Intel is the world’s largest manufacturer of computer chips. In 2008, Intel launched its low-cost “Atom” chip . The supply chain costs of Intel’s chips were about $5.50 a chip, which were acceptable for chips that sold for $100 each. For the Atom chips, priced at $20, these costs were too high to generate a profit.

What factors should Intel consider in order to reduce its supply chain costs, and what actions would you recommend as a priority?

Mapping the Supply Chain

Mapping out the supply chain process for Intel’s Atom chip identified several steps that had already been optimized including:

It also identified that customers required a 2-week service level for receiving orders after a purchase order was submitted. 

However, the order cycle for the Atom chip was 9 weeks. Order-cycle time is the time between when a customer order is received and when the goods are shipped. High levels of inventory were required to ensure that customer service levels could be met despite the long production cycle time.

Because of this, production time/inventory was identified as the key step that had opportunities for improvement.

Identifying Opportunities to Reduce Production Time and Inventory

The process for reducing inventory required reducing the order cycle time to meet the customer’s 2-week required service level. Getting to a 2-week cycle time from a 9-week cycle time was a considerable challenge. To meet this challenge, opportunities to improve order cycle time were addressed throughout the supply chain process. 

As described above, for a supply chain case, there are 4 main factors to consider:

In drilling down on this case, the following opportunities were identified:

Our 7 Tips on Answering a Supply Chain Case Interview Question

Tip 1: walk through the supply chain process.

Start by mapping out the step-by-step supply chain process.

Understanding how materials arrive from suppliers, the steps to turn them into outputs, and what’s needed to get them to market is an important first step. Once you’ve done this, look for bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the system.

Tip 2: Clarify Your Understanding of the Case 

At the start of any case study, it’s important to make sure you understand the question. This includes any information you’ve received about the case and also what you think you need to do to solve it.

A simple way to do this is to repeat back to the interviewer what you know about the case and what you believe the task to be. This gives them an early opportunity to guide your thinking if you look to be going off track.

Tip 3: Ask Questions

If you don’t understand anything, ask! Even if you feel you should know something, there’s no point wasting time worrying about it. Just ask the question and move on.

Similarly, if there are gaps in the data provided, or you need more information in order to form a hypothesis or conclusion, ask your interviewer for more detail. They may provide further information that helps you choose an approach or strengthens your analysis.

Tip 4: Take Time to Structure your Thinking

Don’t be afraid to take your time when structuring your approach to the case. 

Moments of silence can feel endless in an interview situation, but it’s better to use some extra thinking time and respond clearly and logically than answer immediately in a rushed or haphazard manner.

If you need more time to think, it’s perfectly ok to signpost that to your interviewer by asking for a little more time to organize your thoughts.

Tip 5: Use A Framework

Frameworks are popular with both candidates and interviewers alike as they bring structure to your analysis. 

Case interviews can be daunting, and anxiety can make it tricky to think things through logically. Using a framework provides an anchor to organize your thoughts around and makes it less likely you’ll leave anything out.

In supply chain cases, the supply chain process itself can often be used as your framework.

Tip 6: Share Your Analysis

Speaking of analysis, don’t be afraid to share your thoughts aloud. A case interview should be more of a conversation than an interrogation!

Remember your math teacher always telling you to show your work? The same is true in case interviews.

Explaining your thought process helps the interviewer see how you process and make connections between pieces of information. They may also point out small mistakes in your arithmetic so that they don’t mess up your conclusion.

Tip 7: Provide a Recommendation

At the end of the interview, briefly summarize the information you’ve uncovered about the case and how it’s influenced your thinking. Then clearly state your recommendation for the client’s next steps.

Make sure you also share any other important details, such as any risks associated with your recommendation and how they might be overcome.

In this article, we’ve covered:

Still have questions?

If you have more questions about supply chain case study interview questions, leave them in the comments below. One of My Consulting Offer’s case coaches will answer them. Other people prepping for supply chain case interviews found the following pages helpful:

Help with Consulting Interview Prep

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on supply chain case study interview questions. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 85% of the people we’ve worked with to get a job in management consulting. We want you to be successful in your consulting interviews too. For example, here is how Tanya was able to get her offer from McKinsey.

2 thoughts on “How to Solve a Supply Chain Case Study Interview”

I need to do a power point for an interview. I have to do a Logistics Analyst Case Study answering questions regarding delivery data for the supply chain and I can’t seem to figure out how to go about answering the questions. I need some professional guidance to help me through the process. Thank you.

Supply chain cases are challenging.

If you’d like an overview of how to approach answering a consulting case interview, our Ultimate Guide to Case Interview Prep is your best source. If you’d like a one-on-one coach for case interviews, including learning how to case in as short as a week, you can apply here .

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Supply Chain Consulting Case Studies

Take a look at our latest supply chain consulting case studies.

A supply chain includes a wide range of activities starting from design to the final supply of the finished goods sent to the customers. It is essential for a supply chain management team to maintain a sustainable and efficient supply chain model across all events of the organization process in order to gain customer satisfaction and organizational success. The journey for supply chain teams was not easy with all the complicated processes with many moving parts, many companies struggle to manage this process to increase revenues for the company.

At this stage, organizations look for consulting expertise from outside consulting firms like KEPLER to optimize their supply chain process. KEPLER supports organizations in the design and management of their logistics master plans, S&OP, sustainable Supply Chain, warehouse sizing and management, and urban logistics. The Supply Chain Consulting approach offered by KEPLER is recognized among the most efficient on the market.

In order to tell you more about KEPLER, it is a boutique business management consulting firm with strong roots in providing consulting expertise on four major verticals which are Innovation, Procurement, Supply Chain and Operations. KEPLER provides Supply Chain Consulting Services across the world with its offices in the United States (Chicago, IL), France, China, and India. With all the expertise and years of experience working with organizations on different supply chain topics, we have created a knowledge bank of supply chain case studies that will enrich you with deep knowledge and supply chain management insights .

We have curated and listed the best supply chain practices, methodologies, analyses on issues and solutions that we have provided to real-life businesses into a single point content platform called “Supply Chain consulting Case Studies”, this section of our website will help those who are in doing research in university, Supply Chain professionals and decision-makers.

Our executive Supply Chain Consulting Case Study section covers topics that we worked on in recent time across multiple industries like Cosmetics, Healthcare, Distribution, Capital Goods, Automotive, FMCG and many others.

Our Supply Chain Consulting Case Study allows you to dive into each topic and detailed information can be downloadable as PDF.

Find out all our Supply Chain Consulting Case Studies

Optimizing the logistics costs of a cosmetics industry leader.

Our client, a world leader in the cosmetics industry, wants to optimize its logistics costs. KEPLER offers to implement a logistics strategy that will reduce its additional costs linked to the saturation of its logistics organization in France.  

Strengthening the Logistics of a Home Healthcare Specialist to Improve its Presence on Domestic Market

Our client, a Home Care health services provider, wants to strengthen its logistics. KEPLER offers to implement a logistics strategy that will improve its responsiveness and network on the domestic market.

Optimizing the Costs of Promotional Operations for a leader of the Cosmetics Industry

Our client, a major player in the cosmetics industry, wants to rationalize the costs of its promotional operations.

KEPLER carries out the implementation of an end-to-end value chain optimization approach.

Optimizing the Supply Cost for a Hardware Stores Company

Our client, a major player in DIY retailing industry in Europe, wants to optimize the full supply cost of its products in stores.

KEPLER carries out an activity based costing approach to map the range cost overrun optimize it.

Accelerating Response Time to New Products for a Cosmetics Subcontractor

Our client, a cosmetics subcontractor, wants to accelerate its Response Time for developing new products.  

KEPLER offers to implement a collaborative approach to identify and implement levers that will accelerate Time To Market for new products.

Improving the Service Rate and Accelerating the Customer Lead-Time of a Wheelchair Manufacturer

Our client, an outfitted wheelchairs manufacturer, wants to improve its service rate and accelerate its customer lead-time.  

KEPLER supports its client in analyzing the non-performance causes and implementing a corrective action plan aimed to improve its service rate.

Establishing Robust Procurement Processes for Inventory Optimization

Our client, an automotive manufacturer, wants to set up robust procurement processes to optimize its inventory.

KEPLER offers to conduct a revision of the stock management rules and animation rituals to optimize inventory performance and strengthen responsiveness to the risk of stock shortages.

Defining the Digital Solution that will Optimize the CRM and SRM Processes of a Leader in the Rail Transport

Our client, a leader in the rail transport equipment market, has a large number of sites using varied information systems associated with heterogeneous digitalization initiatives.

KEPLER supports its client in defining a digital solution that allows the optimization of its CRM and SRM processes.

Improving the Downstream Supply Chain of a Packaging Leader for one of its Production Sites

Our client, world class packaging manufacturer, wants to improve the performance of one of its production sites’ downstream Supply Chain in order to anticipate significant growth in volume.

KEPLER offers to overhaul its customer interface and increase capacity, all this combined with a savings plan.

Improving the Full Cost of Providing Cosmetics Products

Our client, a world leader in the cosmetics industry, wants to improve the full cost of making its products available in Latin America.  

KEPLER offers to set up a Based Costing activity to improve warehouse storage and modeling operations.

Find Out More about KEPLER Supply Chain Expertise

Meet our supply chain consulting leaders.

Alain-Bernard graduated from ESCE and the Master in Supply Chain from ISLI in Bordeaux. His experience and reputation were built along 20 years of experience in consulting, at AT Kearney, Headlink and Eurogroup. He held operational positions within the Seb group and as Director of Supply-Chain for a French Luxury Brand. Alain-Bernard joined KEPLER in 2020 as a supervisor of the Supply-Chain practice. He brings with him a solid experience in the Retail, Consumer Goods, Industry and Aero / Defence sectors.

Lysiane graduated from Audencia Business School, and holds a CSCP certification from APICS. She started her career in consulting as Procurement and Supply-Chain specialist. She joined KEPLER in 2009 where she became leader of the Supply-Chain practice. She specializes in the Consumer Goods, Manufacturing and Distribution sectors.

Get in Touch With Our Supply Chain Specialists

supply chain optimization Case Interview Questions & Answers

Boston scientific to build distribution center in berlin.

Case Type: supply chain optimization ; organizational behavior ; math problem . Consulting Firm: A.T. Kearney first round full time job interview. Industry Coverage: healthcare: hospital & medical .

Case Interview Question #00813: Our client is Michael Mahoney, CEO of Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX). Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of non-invasive medical devices whose products are used in a range of… Read the rest

Cummins To Reduce Warranty Claims for Diesel Engines

Case Type: new product ; operations strategy ; supply chain optimization . Consulting Firm: Siemens Management Consulting first round summer internship job interview. Industry Coverage: industrial equipment .

Case Interview Question #00634: The client Cummins Inc. (NYSE: CMI) is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, builds, distributes and services engines and related technologies. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, United States, Cummins sells in approximately 190 countries and… Read the rest

Trader Joe’s Chain to Centralize Company’s Sourcing

Case Type: operations strategy ; supply chain optimization . Consulting Firm: A.T. Kearney first round summer internship interview. Industry Coverage: retail .

Case Interview Question #00625: Trader Joe’s is a privately held chain of specialty grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. As of February 2012, Trader Joe’s had a total of more than 360 stores. Approximately half of its stores are in California, with the heaviest… Read the rest

Airbus to Build New A380 Assembly Facility in France

Case Type: operations strategy ; new product ; supply chain optimization . Consulting Firm: Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) first round summer internship job interview. Industry Coverage: aerospace & defense ; airlines .

Case Interview Question #00624: Our client Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, Euronext: EAD), an European aerospace and defense company. Based in Blagnac, France, a… Read the rest

MDP to Re-design Supply Chain for Metal Processing Factory

Case Type: reduce costs ; operations strategy ; supply chain optimization . Consulting Firm: AlixPartners second round job interview. Industry Coverage: Freight Delivery, Shipping Services ; Transportation .

Case Interview Question #00520: Our client Madison Dearborn Partners (MDP) is a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts of privately held or publicly traded companies, or divisions of larger companies; recapitalizations of family owned or closely held… Read the rest

Supply chain case interviews

Supply chain case interviews was originally published on RocketBlocks .

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supply chain consulting case studies

Case types | Example supply chain cases | Framework | Full case example

Following decades of globalization, today’s companies are facing supply chains with a greater degree of complexity than ever before. In recognition of that reality, our clients are increasingly turning to consultancies to find cost reduction opportunities, minimize the risk of obstruction or image from natural disasters and foreign policy decisions, and (increasingly in the past few years) to identify areas for improvement in environmental sustainability.

Overview of the hiring process at Strategy&

Types of cases (Top)

Generally, all supply chain cases aim to assess a candidate’s ability to sort through complex data, yield actionable insights and identify the potential risks from altering the client’s existing operation.

However, that assessment can take a variety of forms, what follows are three common types of supply chain cases that you may encounter throughout your interview process.

Example supply chain cases (Top)

Read through the following examples so you can identify supply chain courses in all their forms.

#1: Car Works has approached your firm to help them assess the efficiency of their raw material providers as they implement a company-wide mandate to cut costs. Presently, Car Works utilizes a large range of individual suppliers, each providing Car Works with 1-2 key inputs, but has considered consolidating their purchasing into fewer, larger accounts. Car Works wants us to quantify the potential savings and provide a recommendation.

This case asks candidates to calculate the cost savings from reducing supply chain complexity and the increases in purchasing power . However, there may be risk from consolidating their suppliers if those suppliers face disruptions of their own.

#2: SunRays is a global producer of solar panels with the bulk of their manufacturing footprint presently located in China. They have retained your firm to assess the strategic risk of maintaining their current operations versus diversifying to other regions given the potential for geopolitical conflict. What would you advise?

This case tests a change in operational configuration and the logistics of relocating manufacturing from across regions .

#3: Your client, SodaSwirl, has set an ambitious goal of cutting their carbon footprint by 50% in 10 years. Your firm has been hired to identify opportunities in their operation to reduce carbon production and determine the most effective route to reaching the goal with the minimal disruption to profits.

This case tests a candidate’s knowledge of the environmental impact for different business operations and provides an opportunity for the candidate to brainstorm solutions to the high stakeholder priority of environmental sustainability.

Supply chain framework (Top)

As always, there is no universal structure that will unlock each supply chain case, however, leaning on the three areas of inquiry below will allow a candidate to lay the foundation for a successful analysis.

Full case example (Top)

Let’s work through a sample supply chain case.

Your Couch World client is a manufacturer of furniture currently designing and manufacturing all of their products in Canada. One of their top investors has continually pushed Couch World to shift their production overseas to a lower cost facility in China, but management has reservations about losing the Made in Canada claim with which customers have grown familiar. How would you advise them?

After jotting down the prompt, we can rely on some of the concepts listed above to formulate a framework for the case.

Step 1: Cost Shifting – What’s the cost impact of Chinese production?

Our client is going to save on the cost of labor and potentially gain access to cheaper raw materials given their closer proximity to industrial centers. The trade-off? It will cost more to transport our goods to their end destination if they are no longer made in Canada.

Let’s say that our goods cost $725 to produce and retail for $1,000 with the present supply chain configuration. It costs an additional $25 to transport them to their final destination for a total of $750, with a gross profit margin of 25% or $250. As discussed above, the cost of production will decrease, let’s say to $500, but the cost of transportation increases, let’s say to $100. Net-net the new cost of production is $600. The new gross margin is $400, so the cost analysis presents favorably towards outsourcing, but make sure to consider all potential impacts before forming a recommendation.

Step 2: Operational Stability – What’s the operational impact of producing in China?

We may want to consider the risks of outsourcing to China. Recently tensions have increased between the U.S. and China with the potential for escalation. We will want to consider the possibility of additional tariffs and the impact of conflict in the region.

These aspects may be difficult to quantify, but they are important for the client to consider as they evaluate the total impact of this decision.

Step 3: Brand Erosion – What’s the brand impact of producing in China?

Finally, our client needs to consider how this change can impact their public image and thereby their sales. Competitors may even capitalize on our shift to highlight their competitive differentiation if they are still domestically produced.

In our case, let’s say our client was selling 100,000 units prior to outsourcing the goods. When they were making $250 per unit, they made $25M per year. Now, our client is making $400 per unit, but, let’s imagine our client expects to lose a significant portion of their sales, ~35%, because their value proposition centers heavily on being a domestic producer of high-quality furniture. Calculating their new gross profit, 65,000 * $400 we find that profit from out-sourcing totals $26M.

Step 4: Recommendation

Synthesizing these analysis we recommend that our client should not go through with outsourcing their production. While the proposition yields significant cost savings, after accounting for lost sales we find that profit will only increase by 4% for quite a bit of incremental risk and complexity. Next steps might involve finding alternatives to outsourcing, maybe considering a plant in Mexico or focusing on optimizing existing operations.

(You can also recommend that the client proceed with the outsourcing – the profit does increase by 4% after all. Most cases are less about yes vs. no and more concerned with the evidence and logic the candidate uses to support their choice).

Consultants find themselves tackling increasingly thorny supply chain questions, and look to evaluate their candidates on their ability to crack these cases. The preceding discussion is a good introduction to the complex work of supply chains, but a strong candidate will supplement it by getting a good mix of supply chain cases under their belt before entering the interview process.

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supply chain consulting case studies

ON-THE-JOB EXPERTISE SUPPLY CHAIN CONSULTING IN PRACTICE

Supply chain consulting case studies, a strategic lever for success.

Unlocking the hidden potential of the supply chain: DHL Consulting connects you with unrivalled logistical experience and expertise. Business strategy is continuously evolving yet many companies fail to correctly balance strategy, setup, governance and performance of their end-to-end supply chain. The following case studies offer practical examples of successful implementation of our supply chain consulting services.

supply chain consulting case studies

Case - Consumer Electronics

Performing better for less.

DHL Consulting identified improvements that enhanced a consumer electronics company’s ability to meet market demands while decreasing its cost.

supply chain consulting case studies

Case - Contract Logistics

Setting best practice standards.

DHL Consulting worked closely together with the business unit DHL Supply Chain to successfully implement an industry-leading model of best practices and standardization programme.

supply chain consulting case studies

Case - E-Commerce

Transforming the business.

DHL Consulting helped a major Chinese appliance manufacturer move beyond product manufacturing into e-commerce and selling self-branded products.

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operations/supply chain case studies

I was recently interviewed at Deloitte for the position of Consultant, Supply Chain & Network Operations, Enterprise Technology & Performance, Switzerland.

I am struggling though to find cases and prepare myself for the case interview. I have searched a lot, but I have found only cases related to market entry, profitability etc. These cases though are not related to the position above.

Do you have any tip on how I could prepare myself?

Overview of answers

1) PrepLounge has that category in their case Library here: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases?language=en&topic[]=13&topic[]=8&sort=real-case-desc&page=1&perPage=20

2) Google and casebooks are your friend. As are the McKinsey Operations and BCG Operations sites!

3) Send me a message and I can provide you with a few good ones and/or case you in them! Some examples include:

Here are some additional helpful Q&As:

Hi can you please share link of some case studies as I’m also preparing for an interview

Pure supply chain cases are hard to find. Have a look at this one I have published: https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/advanced/educateearth-digital-operations-transformation-220

You can find some Ops strategy cases on PrepLounge case library as well.

Supply Chain & Ops is my area of expertise, so feel free to write to me directly if you wish to discuss your preparation further. Am very close to Deloitte's process and have helped many candidates get in the past 6 months.

Hi, I have specific sessions related to operations and supply chain cases. Happy to share some material in PM if useful

Best, Antonello

In general, operations cases often focus on concepts such as

Capacity issues

Classic profitability issues

Optimization problems

Stock issues

Value chain issues

Regarding the latter, you should be able to map out a process in an operations case, especially when you are not familiar with a certain task or system of interactions. When laying out what constitutes a certain issue, you will be able to understand it by breaking it down into its constituent parts.

This helps you to think deeper about the issue. It can also help you to get 'unstuck' if you don’t understand the situation. In sum, problem or process mapping forces you to deconstruct the interactions and increases your odds to find the segment or area in which the issue is buried in.

For instance, you might want to investigate chronological sequences. Process mapping can be used to make a chain of interactions visible and see all parts involved that produce a certain outcome. You can use it when you look into temporal events or when you want to find out which part of the process is most crucial, etc.

Shoot me a message and I am happy to share some cases. Cheers,

Related Products

Prepped and primed.

Related Cases

[email protected] case: footloose.

Ian

Climate Change Operations

Similar questions, assessment criterion for people practices/human capital management, consulting analyst program - deloitte, interview as a senior consultant at monitor deloitte, amsterdam.

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Case studies

Case studies: Digital transformation in supply chain

Digital supply networks powered by the internet of things (iot), ai, and cyber security.

Learn how Deloitte is helping businesses adopt new technologies and approaches to provide greater value to their customers.

Explore the case studies below to learn how we are helping clients imagine, deliver, and run more efficient, profitable supply chain operations

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Get in touch

Adam Mussomeli

Principal | us supply chain & network operations offering.

[email protected]

+1 203 253 5101

Adam Mussomeli is a New York–based Principal at Deloitte, with more than 25 years of experience delivering global, highly complex supply chain transformations across industries, both in a consulting e... More

Stephen Laaper

Principal | smart manufacturing leader.

[email protected]

+1 312 513 7900

Stephen is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and a manufacturing strategy and smart operations leader in Deloitte’s Supply Chain & Network Operations practice. He helped build Deloitte’s Digital ... More

Latest news from @DeloitteBizOps

Sharing insights, events, research, and more, recommendations.

supply chain consulting case studies

Digital Supply Chain Strategy - Digital Supply Networks

Turn your supply chain into an always-on strategic differentiator

supply chain consulting case studies

Implementing the smart factory

New perspectives for driving value

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Supply Chain Management Design & Simulation Online

Supply Chain Case Studies

SCM Globe comes with a library of case studies that explore COMMERCIAL , HUMANITARIAN , and MILITARY supply chains (see below).

The case studies range from relatively simple beginning cases like Cincinnati Seasonings , to quite challenging advanced cases such as Zara Clothing Company , or Nepal Earthquake Disaster Response .  Case studies are laboratories where you apply what you learn in lectures and readings to solve supply chain problems in highly realistic simulations. Each case has a " CASE STUDY CONCEPT " showing the supply chain principles and practices highlighted in that case.

SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT SCM GLOBE

A map of Spain with a logistics hub circled in green and a manufacturing facility in red. There are arrows pointing at it and lines extending out. There is a data window to the sides.

The case studies presently available in the SCM Globe library are shown below. You are welcome to use any or all of them as you wish (you can also create your own case studies or we can create them for you). They are listed in the three categories. As you work with these cases you will gain an intuitive understanding of supply chain dynamics and develop the analytical skills for designing and managing real supply chains.

We recommend people new to SCM Globe start with the  Cincinnati Seasonings case study . Work individually at first, not in groups. Do the three challenges shown in the online introduction to Cincinnati Seasonings. That's how you'll learn to use the software, and how to use simulations to analyze and design supply chains. Then you will be ready to work in groups or work on more advanced cases.  Click on the case studies below to see a description and introduction to each case.

Commercial Supply Chain Case Studies

A map of New York with supply chain routes highlighted in blue.

Collaborative Supply Chains

A satellite picture of the Luanda port in Angola showing high lighted routes between locations.

S&J Trading Company – Angola

A screenshot from SCM Globe zoomed out to a scale which shows the 'Java Furniture Company' global supply chain superimposed on a map of the world.

Java Furniture Company – Indonesia

Picture of a map from the SCM Globe app showing the suppply chain route from Cincinnati to Louisville.

Cincinnati Seasonings

Map of a supply chain of the Roman Empire that supplied olive oil to Rome

Supply Chains of the Roman Empire

Silk Road in SCM Globe Simulation

Ancient Silk Road – First Global Supply Chain

A screenshot of the Zara supply chain showing how products flow from factories to stores

Zara Clothing Company Supply Chain

screenshot of Fantastic Corporation's global supply chain

Fantastic Corporation – Global Supply Chain

Simulation on SCM Globe showing Unexpected Disruptions

Fantastic Corporation – Unexpected Disruptions

Humanitarian supply chain case studies.

A map of Dresden with blue and orange lines on it.

Disaster Response Supply Chains: Flooding Scenario

Map of Nepal Earthquake humanitarian facilities

Nepal Earthquake Disaster Response Supply Chain

A satellite image of the Hama Military Airport and the western part of Hama with a route highlighted in blue.

Humanitarian Supply Chains: Syria Evacuation Scenario (CIV and MIL)

Military supply chain case studies.

Satellite picture of the Japanese campaign in Burma.

Burma Campaign – 1944 Invasion of India

A map of Prussia, Poland, Lithuania, and Belarus. There are blue lines, icons, and numbered shapes representing the military facilities and locations.

Battle of Smolensk – 1941 Invasion of Russia

Alexander the Great Banner

Alexander the Great Needed Great Supply Chains

New case studies.

New cases are added based on projects we do with instructors, students, and supply chain professionals. Here are the new supply chain models in the library:

Interactive Supply Chain Case Studies

Every case study has a main theme or concept that it illustrates. You will be challenged to use knowledge acquired in lectures and readings as well as your own real-world experience to expand and re-design the supply chains in these case studies.

In the commercial supply chain cases you need to improve and expand the supply chains to support new stores and still keep operating costs and inventory as low as possible. In cases that deal with humanitarian or military missions you need to create supply chains to deliver the right supplies to the right locations when they are needed, and do so at a reasonable cost.

A satellite picture of the Luanda port in Angola showing high lighted routes between locations.

We are glad to provide a  free evaluation account  to instructors, students and supply chain professionals interested in exploring SCM Globe simulations — click here to request an account —  Get Your Free Trial Demo  

See SCM Globe pricing for Academic and Business versions of the software.

The best case to start with is Cincinnati Seasonings . After working through the three challenges presented in the online introduction to this case you will be ready to handle further challenges in this case or move on to more advanced cases. Get a quick introduction to working with case studies in “ Working with Case Studies “.

Screenshots of the Cincinnati Seasonings case study in the SCM Globe application.

As problems are found in the simulations, you make decisions about how to fix them. Make changes to your supply chain model in the Edit screen. Then go to the Simulate screen and run a simulation to see the results of your changes. Depending on the changes you make, your supply chain simulation runs for additional days and other problems arise. As you address these problems you see about how supply chains work. Apply what you learn in readings and and lectures plus your work experience to solve the problems you encounter.

Keep improving your supply chain model until you get the simulation to run for 30+ days. Then download your simulation results and create a monthly Profit & Loss Report plus KPIs (as shown below). This provides an objective basis for evaluating the merits of different supply chain solutions.

spreadsheet reporting template showing monthly profit and loss for Cincinnati Seasonings

Monthly Profit & Loss Reports identify areas for improvement. They help you improve your supply chain to keep it running for 30 days and also lower operating costs and inventory levels. You can work on lowering the carbon footprint of your supply chain too. These are the challenges you address in SCM Globe, and they are the same challenges people face when managing real supply chains. What works well in the simulations will also work well with actual supply chains. Skills you develop in working with the simulations are directly transferable to the real world.

NOTE: You can run simulations for longer than 30 – 60 days, but there is usually no reason to do so. This is because most companies do not run their supply chains unchanged for longer than 30 days at a time. They use a 30 day S&OP ( sales and operations planning ) cycle and these simulations correspond to that monthly S&OP cycle. These simulations focus on the tactical realities of operating a supply chain from one month to the next, and finding what works best.

Accessing the Case Study Library

As shown in the screenshots below, logon to your account and access the case study library from your Account Management screen. Click on the “View Library” button (arrow 1) in upper right corner of the Account Management screen. In the Library screen you see a list of available supply chain case studies; click “ Import ” to load a selected case study into your account; give the imported case a Name , and click “ My Account ” to go back to your Account Management screen.

You are welcome to import any or as many of the supply chain models in the library as you wish. Once you have a copy of a supply chain model in your own account you can make any changes you want to it.

Screenshot of Account Screen and library screen

In Account Management, you “ Create a New Supply Chain ” or work with an existing supply chain by clicking the “ Edit ” button (arrow 2) next to the existing supply chain you want to work on. You can also upload copies of supply chain models sent to you by other SCM Globe users (arrow 3) , and check your account expiration date (arrow 4) .

Use Default Values or Enter New Data for Case Studies

When you load any of the case study supply chain models from the SCM Globe library, they come with default numbers already plugged in. You can either accept the defaults or do some research to find more current data. This data (like data and prices everywhere) changes all the time.

Look for data on products, facilities and vehicles that are used in your supply chain and see what their specifications and costs are. Costs can vary widely in different parts of the world (a useful website for commercial real-estate prices in North America is www.cityfeet.com ). Exact numbers are often hard to find, so make your best estimates and cite the sources of your information.

Metric System of Weights and Measures

In the case studies all weights, volumes, distances and speeds are expressed using the metric system. The metric system is used around the world in every country except three: Liberia; Myanmar; and the United States. So it is good for supply chain professionals to feel comfortable with the metric system.

Register on SCM Globe for Access to all Supply Chain Simulations

Click the blue "Register" button on the app login page, and buy an account with a credit card or PayPal (unless you already have one). Then scan the "Getting Started" section, and you are ready to start. Go to the SCM Globe library and click "Import" next to the supply chain models you want.

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COMMENTS

  1. What Is a Case Study?

    When you’re performing research as part of your job or for a school assignment, you’ll probably come across case studies that help you to learn more about the topic at hand. But what is a case study and why are they helpful? Read on to lear...

  2. Why Are Case Studies Important?

    Case studies are important because they help make something being discussed more realistic for both teachers and learners. Case studies help students to see that what they have learned is not purely theoretical but instead can serve to crea...

  3. What Are Some Examples of Case Studies?

    Examples of a case study could be anything from researching why a single subject has nightmares when they sleep in their new apartment, to why a group of people feel uncomfortable in heavily populated areas. A case study is an in-depth anal...

  4. Supply chain case interviews

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  5. How to Solve a Supply Chain Case Study Interview [2022]

    One of My Consulting Offer's case coaches will answer them. Other people prepping for supply chain case interviews found the following pages helpful: Our

  6. Supply Chain Consulting Case Studies

    Read our case studies to see how we helped our clients achieve supply chain excellence with our supply chain consulting services.

  7. Supply Chain Optimization

    Consulting Firm: A.T. Kearney first round full time job interview.

  8. Supply chain case interviews

    Supply chain cases are a strong option for consulting interviews not only due to the diversity of problem types, but they provide an opportunity

  9. Supply Chain Consulting Case Studies

    SUPPLY CHAIN CONSULTING CASE STUDIES. A STRATEGIC LEVER FOR SUCCESS. Unlocking the hidden potential of the supply chain: DHL Consulting connects you with

  10. 8 2 Structuring answers to supply chain cases

    Full Interactive Consulting Interview Case (Cost Reduction) | Case Interview Prep - "Midwest News". CaseBinge. CaseBinge.

  11. operations/supply chain case studies

    Find out more on operations/supply chain case studies on the PrepLounge Consulting Q&A forum. Ask any questions on your management consultant career!

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    Stephen is a principal at Deloitte Consulting LLP and a manufacturing strategy and smart operations

  13. AT Kearney Consulting Casebook.pdf

    logistics and supply chain management solutions.

  14. Supply Chain Case Studies

    See an online library of case studies that explore COMMERCIAL, HUMANITARIAN, and MILITARY supply chains including Zara Clothing Company and more.